62 ANNUAL REPORT 



reports. And I believe that every member with a judicious use 

 of these reports can succeed. I will say further that I believe- 

 if you will use them properly where most needed that you will 

 not get the branches only but trees; for I do not believe you 

 should begin with the branches but should grow the trunk firsts 

 (Laughter.) And I believe you have got to let your wood grow 

 in the branches, and you want to take particular notice and so- 

 train the wood that you will give every advantage to the fruit 

 buds that you possible can. 



I believe it only needs j ust such energy as Minneapolis people 

 have in order to establish successful horticultural societies in every 

 county, and then this Society will be proud of its fruit. When 

 we remember that our Society is not for the building up of 

 nurserymen, not for the jjurpose of enabling its members to sell 

 you their goods for a profit, but that the object of this Society is 

 to afford instruction how to grow the products of the garden and 

 the choicest of fruits for the table, that the object is not so much 

 to benefit money making people as it is to assist the hard-work- 

 ing, common people of Minnesota to do that which they can not 

 do without they put forth proper effort, we can then see some- 

 thing of the importance of the task that is laid before us and 

 may take courage to carry forward the worthy cause. (Ap- 

 plause.) 



Mr. Harris. I wish to say a word about that society at Man- 

 kato. It is not much more than nine months old, as it was or- 

 ganized last March and was the outgrowth of a farmers' institute 

 held at that place, in a rather unfavorable time of the year. The 

 roads were blockaded so that it was difficult for farmers to at- 

 tend from a distance. I was at that meeting and I distributed 

 about one hundred copies of our reports. We had the most in- 

 teresting classes in horticulture we had at any of the points I at- 

 tended, in the institute work. People took a deep interest, not 

 only in grape culture but in every branch of horticulture. At 

 my solicitation they called a meeting to organize a society there 

 and their first meeting was an enthusiastic one. Two or three 

 other good meetings have been held since. With a proper leader 

 there to get out suitable notices I believe the people of Mankato 

 would respond readily and sustain a live society there. 



President Elliot. We have with us to-day a noted man from 

 Indiana, Prof. W. H. Eagan, of Greencastle, secretary of the 

 American Horticultural Society. I wish to introduce him to- 

 you at this time that you may all become acquainted with him^ 

 He is an earnest horticulturist. 



